Overview of Online Gambling in Indonesia
Indonesia, a country in Southeast Asia with a population of over 270 million, has the world’s largest Muslim-majority population. The heavy religious influence in the country has led to strict regulations on gambling. A state-run lottery was introduced sometime in the 20th century, but by 1981, all forms of gambling were banned. Today, online gambling is considered illegal with fines and jail terms being the penalties for anyone caught.
Nevertheless, citizens and residents still access casino sites well aware of the risks. Many of the licensed offshore online casinos accept players from Indonesia. However, as the number of people who gamble online paradoxically increases, the government continues to increase its efforts to prevent this happening as well. The Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo) reported that over 2.6 million gambling sites were blocked recently.